In Puerto Rico, there are many stories about Juan Bobo, a young man with a good heart, but little common sense. In this tale, Juan Bobo's mother tells him to take care of their pig while she goes to church. When the pig won't stop grunting, Juan Bobo decides that the pig must want to go to church as well.
In this Choctaw variant of Aesop's fable "The Tortoise and the Hare," master storyteller Tim Tingle reveals some unexpected twists and expands the cast to include a wild turkey, a colony of ants, and a cheering squad of Little Bitty Turtles as well. When Rabbit boastfully challenges Turtle to a race, he gets his comeuppance and Turtle gets a little assist from his winged friend, Turkey. In the process, we learn why Turtle's shell is cracked and why you never see Rabbit racing Turtle today. The bold and vibrant illustrations capture not only the grasslands of the High Plains but also the demeanor of its animal inhabitants and the humor of the tale.
This lyrical picture book of 20 clever riddles challenges young readers to use their imagination to solve the word and picture puzzles.
Have you ever heard the saying, Your eyes are bigger than your stomach? Well, Cat's stomach is bigger than a lot of things. He is always hungry, and living with culinary-inclined Mouse, who makes thirty-five pies in one day, just makes it worse. Fat Cat swallows everything in sight, including the washlady and her washtub, a troop of soldiers and their swords, even a king and his elephant! But when Cat swallows Mouse and her sewing basket, that's the last straw. Tiny Mouse cuts to the heart of the situation, taking an upside-down world and turning it right-side-up again. Greedy Cat learns his lesson and turns fat into fancy, fabulous, and fantastic. Margaret Read MacDonald's infectious energy combines with Julie Paschkis's folk-inspired gouache paintings to create a new retelling of a favorite comic cumulative tale.
With a tiny, cluttered house, giggling children, and a snoring wife, the poor man can't get a good night's sleep. If only, he thinks, I had a big quiet house! He throws off his covers and goes to visit the wise old woman at the edge of the village. Surely she can help him solve his problem. And she does, but not without giving him some very unusual advice. Bring a chicken into your house, she suggests. And when that doesn't work, she has him add a goat, a horse, a cow, and even a sheep. The ending of the story proves, as so many ancient folktales do, that quite often, nonsense makes the best sense of all.
Posey Prefers Pink introduces an "it-must-be-pink" little girl named Posey and her patient-about-pink family. The story uses a lot of "p-word" alliteration in conveying Posey's preferences for pink furniture and decor, foods, clothes, and toys. She will throw a pink-hot tantrum when her parents try to insist on incorporating other colors into her clothing or food choices. But during a trip to the mall Posey surprises everyone--especially herself--when she suddenly prefers...a purple dress!
Elephant, Alligator, and Stork share poolside hijinks as they mix up their towels, tussle over ice cream, and compare diving styles. Best-selling author/illustrator Ethan Long brings his energetic and engaging style to this delightful story of poolside fun and summertime friendship.
This charming concept book puts the child-reader "in charge" of an assortment of unruly little monsters (stand-ins for their real-life counterparts). Each displays certain "monstrous" behaviors (crabbiness, selfishness, etc.), which kids will recognize in themselves. Being in charge motivates kids to handle/address these behaviors and provides a sense of ownership over how to help them be happier, more well-behaved monsters. It's an ideal little book for young kids to share with a grown-up.
An awesome series takes root! Animal Princess first appeared in The Totally Awesome Epic Quest of the Brave Boy Knight. Now she has her own trio of fulsomely funny adventures (with a cameo by Brave Boy Knight) set in a magical funkadelic kingdom ruled by Queen Mom and King Dad. Though they sometimes force her to wear awful, frilly dresses, Animal Princess prefers magical pajamas, quests, and battling three-headed wizards. Pink? Not her thing! It's radically awesome, big, funny fun!
In this fresh take on a classic tale, a magic meat grinder helps a poor Jewish couple learn a little gratitude after the three wishes it grants them go awry. A cautionary story that questions today's consumerism and excessiveness, Kishka for Koppel, like the best folktales, can help children and adults alike to look both beyond and within.
Kioko had been watching the matatus come and go for as long as he could remember. But today, for his fifth birthday, he climbs aboard one with his grandfather. As the matatu pulls away from the market, the village dogs chase after them. When Kioko asks his grandfather why the dogs always bark and chase after matatus, his grandfather tells him an entertaining tale about a dog, a goat and a sheep. Set in East Africa, The Matatu is a colorful story filled with many unexpected turns and twists along the way.
Tova lives with her family on a small farm in the famous town of Chelm, a mythical village populated, according to Jewish folklore, by fools. Tova's farm has hens and even a rooster, but no cow. Her mother, Rivka, wishes they could afford to buy a cow, so they could have fresh milk and butter every day. One night Tova's father has a dream about how to get milk without actually owning a cow. He asks Tova to help him find a way to get milk from their hens, and the results are hilarious. Finally, to the family's joy and the hens' relief, the problem is solved by none other than the wise Rabbi of Chelm himself, and a little extra help from Tova.
This book takes students through the exciting adventures of dinosaur hunting through grass, a jungle, and mud until they find one and have to quickly retrace their steps back to safety.
The star of Bear in Underwear is back in another zany adventure, this time on the soccer field. Bear's lucky white boxers turn PINK in a laundry mishap, his teammates are embarrassed, and members of the other team tease him. Will Bear still wear his lucky underwear? Kids will love Goldman's bold illustrations, comic sensibility, and the return of their favorite bear!
Hilarious hi-jinks are at the heart of best-selling author/illustrator Ethan Long's re-telling of "The House That Jack Built." An infectious, rhythmic refrain, along with a kooky cast of characters and comic-style illustrations, will be a sure-fire success with readers of all ages.
Doodle dynamo Deborah Zemke is back with 36 new placemats, featuring tongue-in-cheek table manner lessons from a crew of zany animal friends. Zemke has taught many readers - and eaters - how to make fun, easy, and personality-filled doodles in her best-selling Doodle books and placemats. This set is sure to be another hit with diners.
A young boy and his best buddy Butterscotch search for hidden treasure, save the city from an angry monster, and patrol a kingdom. Amazing adventures ensue as brave boy knight saves the day!
When a rat moves into Benito's store, his customers go elsewhere. Benito needs a boa constrictor to get rid of his problem, but how will he find the right one?
Miss Prudence's attempt to save her prized pansies from a hungry pig leads her on a mad ride--on piggy back--through the city.
Every year Groundhog gets to eat most of the O'Leary's garden. They decide to plant a garden just for him in the hope that he will be satisfied. But Groundhog has other ideas!
The Socksnatcher family is secretly living in the Perkins family's cellar. They rely upon the Perkin's smelly socks to add flavor to their soup. But the cat has discovered their secret hiding place!
The star of Bear in Underwear and Bear in Pink Underwear returns in another adventure. It's wintertime, and Bear and his friends go outside to play in the snow. As Bear sheds his clothes in order to dress his newly-built snowman, he's left now with his signature tighty-whities, but with LONG underwear. And now, all his pals want cool long underwear of their own. Kids will love Goldman's bold illustrations, comic sensibility, and the return of the best-selling and always fashion-foward Bear!
Cow is stuck in the fence and needs some help. But when Bee passes the word on, it turns into: "Cow put Duck in a tent!" Later renditions convey a woodchuck having a tent fall on him, Cow getting good luck, a penny, some money, some honey, and - with messages like these, will this poor cow ever get out of that fence?
Louie loves watching his young master paint, and when the boy puts his finishing touches on a particularly good self-portrait, Louie barks enthusiastically. One day, when the boy is at school, Louie tries his own paw at painting a still life. Is this purely an accident, or is Louie a "genius," just like his master? Children will delight in Barroux's whimsical illustrations of Louie dipping his nose and paws into colorful paint and creating a canine masterpiece.
"Everyone poops - yes, it's true. From aardvarks to the humped zebu." Indeed. And aren't we all at least a little bit curious about this subject matter? Told in rhyme, smart and sublime, here's a fun and fact-filled field guide to poop around the world and very close to home. Kids will discover surprising uses, words, forms, and facts about something in which they have a natural interest. Who knew that a wombat produces cubes? Or poop's many uses for housing, cooking, and fun at county fairs? While it may dismay and stink, there's more to this stuff than you might think!
